Qian Xunji stepped out of the grand hall. Warm sunlight poured down, yet his heart felt as cold as ten-thousand-year ice.
Standing atop the lofty steps, Qian Xunji gazed at the rolling sea of clouds in the distance, the sinister look in his eyes refusing to fade.
He knew his father's strength. Calling him a god walking among mortals would be no exaggeration. If his father were willing to act even once, Spirit Hall would surely become the sole ruler of the entire continent. What place would there be for Heaven Dou, the Star Luo Empire, or the Upper Three Sects?
"It's just..."
His father no longer cared at all about the conflicts on the continent. Unless they faced annihilation, his father probably would not act.
But were Spirit Hall's ambitions supposed to stop here?
He refused to accept it!
"Since Father refuses to intervene..."
A vicious, cold smile curled Qian Xunji's lips, and crazed ambition flashed in his eyes.
"Then I will personally lead a team to meet them!"
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
After successfully hunting down Qian Renxue's first Soul Ring, Ling Yuan Douluo stood alone atop a towering tree, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
As a rank ninety-one Titled Douluo, she had seen countless geniuses. Yet someone like Qian Renxue, who had directly absorbed a thousand-year ring as her first Soul Ring, was truly a first in her life.
The other thing that concerned her was the little beast accompanying the young mistress. If she had seen correctly just now, he had directly devoured the most chaotic, turbulent power within the Thousand-Year Soul Ring. This had also been the key to the young mistress successfully absorbing it.
"Then I'm afraid we can no longer view the young mistress by conventional standards."
Ling Yuan Douluo murmured, rapidly weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
Since the young mistress could withstand a thousand-year first ring, she should, in principle, be able to keep breaking the limits with her second Soul Ring.
The problem was that, although the little black beast defied the heavens, he was also full of unknowns that she could not accurately gauge.
If the little black beast's ability worked only intermittently and shorted out at a critical moment, wouldn't she, Ling Yuan Douluo, become a sinner against all of Spirit Hall?
Responsibility for such a decision was already beyond what a single elder like her could bear.
"No, this matter is far too important. I must report it to His Holiness the Pope and the Great Enshrined."
Ling Yuan Douluo lightly tapped the tree trunk with her fingers, reaching a decision.
Since the young mistress had such a heaven-defying extraordinary beast assisting her, every subsequent Soul Ring would have to be selected with the utmost care.
If her own negligence delayed the young mistress's development, or even caused her to be injured, that would be disastrous.
With a flicker, she returned to their temporary camp.
Qian Renxue was sitting cross-legged on a boulder, regulating her breathing, while Chen Qianqiu lay beside her, basking in the sun.
"Young mistress."
Ling Yuan Douluo approached and said respectfully, "
Your first Soul Ring has fully stabilized. I suggest we return to Spirit Hall first and report the details of this trip to His Holiness the Pope and the Great Enshrined, so they can plan your path forward anew."
Qian Renxue paused, then nodded obediently.
"Mm, I'll follow your advice, Fifth Elder. I'll start packing now."
Hearing this from where he lay nearby, Chen Qianqiu swished his tail noncommittally.
It seemed everything had to go through a process. Ling Yuan Douluo still wasn't quite used to it.
Ah, if only I could return to Blue Star and bring back a set of the Douluo series. I could show them how the main cast kept their cheats on without ever switching them off. Then they definitely wouldn't keep looking ahead and behind like this. What Qian Renxue has now is barely even a start.
In the deepest reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, at the Lake of Life.
The emerald lake shimmered with a gentle glow. The entire space brimmed with an invigorating breath of life, so extraordinarily rich that even a single breath would greatly benefit an ordinary Soul Master.
Amid this tranquility, ripples suddenly stirred in the deepest part of the lakebed.
Looking even deeper, there was a separate, independent space formed entirely from life force. At its center, a slender silver dragon lay quietly coiled.
Her eyes, as dazzling as stars, snapped open!
"Hum!"
The entire space shuddered. Almost at that same instant, a strikingly handsome, otherworldly figure tore through space and appeared beside her.
"My lord!"
Di Tian dropped to one knee, his golden dragon eyes filled with worry.
"What happened? Have your injuries worsened?!"
The Silver Dragon King did not answer. Her purple eyes remained fixed in a certain direction, a trace of disbelief in her voice.
"Did you sense it?"
"What?"
Di Tian froze.
"The presence of one of our kind."
The Silver Dragon King spoke slowly, her voice low but filled with shock.
"There was only a wisp, but I caught it. A very pure draconic presence, yet an unfamiliar one."
Di Tian shuddered and abruptly raised his head.
"My lord, do you mean a dragon? But the dragon Soul Beasts on this continent are all descendants of ancient dragons. Their bloodlines have long since thinned to the extreme. For one to resonate with you..."
Di Tian did not continue. In truth, he too had sensed something unusual just now, but had not dared to be certain.
"It definitely wasn't one of those mongrel bloodlines."
The Silver Dragon King tilted her head slightly, her emotions complicated.
"That presence was extraordinarily pure. It might even be more ancient than my Dragon God Bloodline."
"What?"
Di Tian spoke softly. This revelation was far too explosive, yet there was not the slightest hint of jest in the Silver Dragon King's tone.
"In any case, a being capable of resonating with your bloodline could never be an ordinary Soul Beast."
Di Tian said gravely,
"I will send Soul Beasts to investigate immediately and find out exactly what is going on."
"No need."
The Silver Dragon King gently shook her head.
"Although that presence was powerful and ancient, even I cannot gauge its strength. It would be better not to disturb them. If we displeased them, wouldn't we merely create another obstacle?"
She paused.
"Withdraw for now. I have a feeling that we will surely meet it again in the future."
"Yes."
Di Tian lowered his head in assent.
After Di Tian left, the Silver Dragon King closed her eyes again to heal.
"It seemed to be the Law of Devouring?"
She murmured to herself, her voice barely audible.
"How could something like that suddenly appear on this continent?"
"It even felt more domineering than the power of gods. Was it my imagination?"
Several days later, in the Worship Hall of Spirit City.
With Qian Renxue and her party's return, the news that she had absorbed a thousand-year ring as her first Soul Ring swept straight through Spirit Hall's upper ranks, then spread through each successive level like a passing storm.
From the elders and enshrined down to the bishops and deacons beneath them, everyone had discussed the matter privately to some extent.
Some said the young mistress was exceptionally gifted, destined to be the divine maiden chosen by the Angel God; others did not believe it at all, thinking someone had misspoken as the story spread. At most, it had been a Hundred-Year Soul Beast at the absolute limit. As for a thousand-year one, that was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Regardless, Qian Renxue's prestige within Spirit Hall reached an unprecedented height.
And naturally, this news also reached the deepest part of the Worship Hall.